The 2013 Molecular Membrane Biology Gordon Conference in Andover, New Hampshire will cover recent advances in organelle biology and membrane traffic, including protein secretion, membrane shaping mechanisms and lipid biology, the importance of membrane trafficking for normal development, and pathogen invasion of cells. Over its nearly 30 year history, this conference has contributed to and witnessed tremendous progress in understanding key roles of organelles in biological processes such as cell growth, development, signal transduction and protein degradation. Importantly, mechanisms underlying membrane trafficking pathways have now provided insights on numerous familial diseases and health related issues. In addition to classical cell biological approaches, structural biology and advanced biophysical methods play an increasingly important role in progress in this area of biology. Recent major advances in these areas and other late- breaking discoveries will be covered at the 2013 conference. The meeting program will optimally balance presentations to include scientists in the early stages of their careers, to include members of groups underrepresented in the field, as well as established investigators. Thirty-two invited speakers have been invited to participate in the conference and an additional eighteen speakers will be selected from submitted abstracts. The overarching goals of the meeting are to advance knowledge on significant topics in molecular membrane biology and to cultivate the next generation of scientists who will lead the field into important new frontiers, and strengthen the future of NIH sponsored research.